Insider Tips for Screening your New Nanny Hire
Christa D. Nader
To hire a new nanny safely (or even an assistant, or housekeeper!) is a serious undertaking, and should be handled with a certain extent of scrutiny and attention to detail. Your new hire will be working intimately in your home and with your children, so it’s important to make sure that you have absolute peace of mind before bringing someone on.
Here are a few insider tips on how to safely hire a nanny to ensure that your new hire has been properly vetted and can become a trusted member of your family unit.
- Validate Candidate’s Identity
First, validating identity is essential. I would highly recommend using a legitimate background check company to do this. An identity verification can still be run with identification documents from any government. With today’s technology, telling a real from a fake ID can be harder than you’d imagine for the untrained eye. Hiring an outside company to assist you with a background verification will ensure peace of mind. Even if you aren’t using a nanny agency’s services for your recruitment search, many will offer background verification as a standalone service, at a relatively inexpensive cost. - Verify the References’ Personas and Get (a bit!) Nosy
Second, verify references and get in-depth with them. Always try a Facebook, Google and LinkedIn search of a reference provided: does absolutely nothing come up? Search their phone number or email into Facebook and Google, and see what name (if anything) corresponds. A fake reference is always a friend or family member of the person themselves, and will likely show up among their Facebook friends. [Though as a note: some ultra high-net-worth individuals will not show up in a Google search, so if possible try to get the partner or spouse’s name as well when requesting references from the candidate].When you do get a hold of a reference, take note of the person’s tone and cadence. How do they sound? A real reference will state the facts and have specific examples; a fake reference will sound like a salesperson speaking in very general, broad, and overly positive terms. Also, have your candidate’s resume in front of you on the call, and get nosey, as if you know nothing. Ask what the details of the position were, and how old their children are presently (a real parent will know this information automatically without having to quickly do math). Ask what neighborhood they live in, and cross-reference with the resume. Ask why the position ended and see if it lines up. Not every reference will be open to discussing a ton of personal details, especially if it ended due to the family’s private matters. I recommend trying to speak to a minimum of 3 people, which will give you a chance to notice any patterns that might emerge. - Have a security camera.
My last bit of advice is to install at least one visible security camera in the apartment or on the outside of your home before you leave your in-home caretaker for the first time. I highly recommend that it is visible so that your employee is aware of the surveillance. While voice recording is illegal in most states without express two-party consent, a simple video camera is acceptable. Alerting the caregiver to it in advance will build a relationship of openness and trust, and will break any possible tension or hurt they may feel if they had found it on their own. Imagine your partner was spying on you, and what emotions that would bring up. A nanny may similarly feel the same, as this person is, in a way, a partner and co-parent in your family. Telling your employee upon hire about any cameras you have in your home also allows you the opportunity to put it back on yourself: “We have it for our apartment’s security, but also because I just miss my baby in the day!” Most nannies understand that to many families, safely hiring a nanny means a “nanny-cam”, and they may be completely fine with the presence of a camera if it’s not secretive, as they also know it can protect them in the event they are accused of something. The majority of nannies only really take issue with a camera when it is used to micromanage and critique their practice in real-time.
No matter where you are finding your new employee, it’s always best practice to take these, and other similar tips to heart. While we recommend giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, it’s equally important to give your family the protection you need to safely welcome a new nanny into your lives and home. Do you have any other recommendations? Please leave your comments and suggestions below!
Christa D. Nader – (Brooklyn, New York) Christa is an advocate, educator, and the founder of KITH & KIN in New York City. Her agency’s namesake speaks to her grounding vision of creating kindred connections that feel innate and familial for nannies and the families who employ them. After obtaining her Bachelors of Arts, 3 years of classroom teaching pre-k and 2nd grade, 10 years of nanny life, 4 years of teaching yoga, and 2 years of learning and planning a business, KITH & KIN was launched, despite her many doubts of this small-town girl’s ability to open a sustainable business in the biggest city in the U.S. Who knew! In 2017, she was quoted in the New York Times regarding a new state law for maternity leave for domestic workers, as well as in 2018 in an article regarding the formulation of the Lulu and Leo law. Christa has been interviewed for the podcast Yoga | Birth | Babies, for My Nanny Circle, and The Nanny Collaborative, and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to teach, and learn from those communities.
* THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POLICY OR POSITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL NANNY ASSOCIATION. THE CONTENTS OF THIS BLOG POST ARE INTENDED TO CONVEY GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND NOT TO PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE OR OPINIONS. THE CONTENTS OF THIS POST SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS, AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON FOR, LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE IN ANY PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE OR FACT SITUATION. THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS POST MAY NOT REFLECT THE MOST CURRENT LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS. NO ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN IN RELIANCE ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS POST THE INA DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY IN RESPECT TO ACTIONS TAKEN OR NOT TAKEN BASED ON ANY OR ALL OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS POST TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. THE INTERNATIONAL NANNY ASSOCIATION RECOMMENDS THAT AN ATTORNEY SHOULD BE CONTACTED FOR ADVICE ON SPECIFIC LEGAL ISSUES.